Locomotive 73050 left Derby Works on 14 April 1954, and was chosen to represent the class at the "International Railway Congress, Willesden, London" between 26 and 29 May.

In 1966 another move took 73050 to Agecroft, in Manchester, before finally ending up at Patricroft and eventual withdrawal in June 1968 having run approximately 825,000 miles.

It was the formation of Peterborough Locomotive Society to look after 73050 that led directly to the establishment of the Nene Valley Railway some years later.

A start was made on restoring the locomotive alongside the East Coast Main Line at Baker Perkins until 1971 when it was moved to the British Sugar Corporation factory at Woodston.

On 30 June 1986, 73050 was driven by Prince Edward when he opened the extension from Orton Mere to Peterborough Nene Valley.

New manganese steel was fitted to the axlebox horns, the paint on the frames was found to peel off easily; all parts were painstakingly stripped back to bare metal and re-painted.

A new smoke box was fitted by the NVR fitters, new boiler cladding and a new cab fabricated from laser-cut parts and hot-riveted together.

73050 was booked for a special on the Nene Valley Railway on 15 August 2012 to mark Richard Paten's 80th birthday, but he died three weeks before.